The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-08-13
A VERY DISASTROUS PlW
THE BUSINESS CENTER or PIN
BURG ABLAZg. 3
The Finest Buildings In the Cl1Y
Destroyed-Loss supposed to-
be $I,OOOOOO.


FIRE in the business centes
Of the city. Four hours latey
the center Of the square .
bounded by Fifth avenue, Wood,
Smithnsld streets and Virgin alley
was a smoulderiDg ruin, and million
dollars Of property had been con-
sumed. 1t was the most disastrous
fire since the great Pitttburg riots Of
q decade ego. The flames started in
the rear Of the Masonic building, pre-.
sumably In the basement Of Campbell
q Dicks carpet store On three side
we're solid brick buildings forming
quadrangle, tncompaseirg "a QUARTS
Of an acre II finder boxs. AleIm aftee
alarm followed each her, and With
in forty five miDu'es five districts wero
on the g'ou d. But hose and ensinoo'
aud trucks and axes were powerless =
deal with the bleIing furnace than.
glowered and seethed defsI CO TO two
score MOBILES In the hands Of a hundred
hremtn. On the east side was the
loitiest building In the city-tho.
Hamilton, when lowered nine stories
sbove the flames that licked It's base.
Seven stories from the ground 1t pre-
scented s)lld wall OF onck, which
offered no operipg for he q emsn to
work upon that eide. The front on
Filth avenue also prevented an ad-
vantsg sous placing of the 6remen, and
with thu roaring fire incra sirg In
volume and extent at Every
second, tEne were BIT two.
sidsB ct which the fremen
could WORK. The rear WA nsrrov
alley and, with all tLese odds igsinst
them, Il Q fi,emen seemed TO have been
called ~ a hopeless contest with the
flames. But they rallied on the sec
ond story r5ofs ut the west side, while
hs I cozen stresms guarded the front
on Filth avenue. The pipemen
could no. get within 100 feet Of the
d sry crater, though ut work at some
elevation from the hottest OF the FIRE.
II siDgeJ their hair and
tconcnKD THEIR Rye BALLS,
but the thu dering engines seemed 10
be but in Idle play for all the head
way made against the fire. There was
not much wind, and The sparks and
burning frebrands ehot out from the
pit OF fame and SCARED Lastly over
the roofs Of the bu.ibsss blocks on
oo.h sides a Fifth avenue On every
Ioof for two tqrAres we've men with
buckets aud extir guishsrs putting
out the sparks aud brands d. at dropped
in a heavy shower over buildings for
q eolld iqusre. The lurid tongue Of
flame seemed 10 attract half the city.
Filth avenue, q narrow thorouehiare,
was one sshd, impossible am.
Through this crowd the fFemen had "a
lay their lin.f, with the aid Of tqusde
al policemen, who alone could ehforco
rtepect by the fee use CT maces. See.
tiop alter section OF hoee were hunted
by the high pressure under which the
engines wee working, difficulty that
was increased by the lramping Of
Thousands OF feet .pon the lines.
At IL o'clock pm. the surgine
flames rolled Ia ascending pillows 70
the height Il the roof upon which the
pipemen were Stationed, and IL then
seemed that the detu uctlon Of the en-
tire block snt s8,000,OO0 worth Of
property was inc Htable. IL was q
this hour that the Hamilton building.
five stories higher tDAn the ttfuctureo
watch hinked 10, caught from the
cIaikling area Of whit.hct Goals thst
slowed alongside. The longest lad
dsrs were far 100 short TO reach the
elevation a. which the second stage
Of the clnh.sra.im began. The
Hamilton structure ,x ends entirely
thiougs the b ock TO Virgin alley. A
long iadder " . run up ths rear ard Q
detail II fremen slowly toiled
upward with q line OF hose. When
the Attn story windows had been al.
most reached the water was turned on
ut q fright al pressure. The shock
from the ladder. The wnggling, tor
tuous hOse writbsd IN their
grasp. 10 release II would have
BEEN 10 base stripped those
lower down from tie lofty
ladder. With cool resolution, how
ever. the msn p Iintsd the stream di.
rectly al1i,, and ciung b. the swaying,
elastic ladder that at every moment
threatened 10 ca ten 10 the pavement
below. Ia this peiilous, sgonislnG
position they cluug for fully four min
utss b,fUre the iyss Of the horror
stricken crowd. Tue word reached the
end OF the line and the wicked
stream wss Cut OF. b. tits time the
seventh, eighth q d ninth floors Of the
Hamilton were sblsss, and no stream
Of water couli more than touch the
fliipgs OF tns fame along the lower
side. The Dispatch building W.
than only &c. afstvd from the Ore
by On intervening structure, the
schmidt AID Friday building.
The printers In the hith story,
.lmost tuh Jcatsd by the roasting
sirrocco that drove through the win
doxs, sbandon.d their cssee and stam-
peded down tbs ttsifwaya Aorosa
The street was the be, dqu Ar,ers Of the
Associated Press. Toe roof hsd caught
several times from Ayipg sparks, bat
was extinsuish'd py the ,entinels sta-
toned aloit. Finally, with the heae
too intense 10 be- longer endurable and
WITH the
| NhkhNnafu WtaAn W.T. AMI NHseI
the iorce " operators wtr- sfni 10 the
Western IA on main thice, which
tmporanly became the headquarters
OFT q Associate d Press. At this hour
(2:30 O'Clock a.m.) the aames are IN
der control, but ths hr. 10 not extin~
guished. The Hamilton building
ldssonlc hail and q number oil tene-
ment houses on Virgin alley are To-
taliy ds1toyei. Tne three upper
stories Of Schmidt a Fridays
mine story bnildlDg arc now In
ilamee. The lower stories are
90 damaged with water that the Ices
could not have been much greater
had thsy burned The Dispsich
building was on Are q score Of timss,
but prompt WORK prevented lie de-
struction. The entire structure y
water soaked, and 40 paper will be 10
sued on SaurdsY morning II Ia dit
a ult 10 estimate the loss II this time.
IS all 10 confusion. A safe estimate.
however, VII pa, the figures In the
eigbbofhood VI tl,OO1,0OO In the
Schmidt a Friday and Hamilton build
1 A A. 81